Fresh Water Kingdoms (Switzerland and North-East Italy) |
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subjects |
- Valle Verzasca, Ticino - Switzerland - Valle della Breggia, Ticino - Switzerland - Lago del Cornino, Udine - Italy |
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travel notes |
The Valle Verzasca
is a valley in the Locarno district of the Canton of Ticino,
Switzerland. It comprises the municipalities of Mergoscia, Vogorno,
Corippo, Lavertezzo, Brione (Verzasca), Gerra (Verzasca), Frasco and
Sonogno with a total population of 3,200 (as of 2004). Mergoscia is at
the geographical center of the Ticino, and none of the passes out of
the valley cross cantonal or national borders. The valley is situated
between the Leventina and the Maggia. The Verzasca River forms the
artificial Lago di Vogorno near the entrance of the valley, formed by
the Verzasca Dam before joining the Ticino River in the Magadino plain. Outcrops found in Valle della Breggia constitute an exceptional document that covers uninterruptedly the geologic hera nearly for a period of 100 million years from the Jurassic to the Cretaceous and constitutes therefore a document of remarkable scientific interest to world-wide level. The scientific interest of the zone is documented from a rich literature. The study of the stones and fossile of this valley reveals precious information about the life habitat, the depth and the temperature of the sea in the various geologic ages. Several times in fact these factors changed, conditioning the flora and the fauna. Lago Cornino is a small water mirror that has had origin during the withdrawal of the ice happened approximately 10000 years ago. The lake hardly exceeds the 140 meters of length and 8 m of depth and does not possess neither imissaries neither emissaries, but the water circulation basement is such to concur however an express bottom mouvements of waters. That's where its transparency come from, maintaining an average water temperature of 9-11°C. Such characteristics allow it to be classified as a oligotrofic lake as of nourishing substances. The bottom is completely covered from green seaweed that form driven in underwater prairies, while the cliffs are colonized from blue seaweed. The present ictic fauna is limited to fishes like the Ciprinidi and Salmonidi and River Shrimp (Austrapotamobius pallipes). |
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contacts |
Valle Verzasca: www.verzasca.com Valle della Breggia: www.parcobreggia.ch Lago del Cornino: www.lagodicornino.it |